How can we change the theme color in-game?

[Captain Thunder]

Hi all,

so, OK, I'm new around here, just joining in, and as such, as expected I have some questions, so I guess this is the right place to ask my questions...

as a side note, I am not new to online games and/or forums use, so I have a general idea of how it should work

here are my questions:

1. how can we change - if we can do that - the in-game theme color look
- at it is now, I see it with new fresh eyes, considering I just joined and I can easily spot what "looks" good and what may not "look" so good, at least compared with veteran players with more seniority that are already used with the "look & feel" of the game interface
- thus, at a first glance, it's quite hard to read in-game, almost everything, the menus, the text, the messages, what's happening, especially the dark red fonts over the black background, especially the menu options Headquarters, Plunder, etc. on the left and/or right side, as I see them, those are either a pale-gray fonts over a brown background on the left, and dark red fonts on a black background, so the contrast between the fonts color and the background color is not present or is weak, hence making the reading very uncomfortable, for some users, like myself used to have a clear contrast between fonts color and background color
- not to mention, we may log in on a laptop, from different locations, like a more darker room, or a room with a more bright light glaring over our screen, or other similar variations, so once again, the color of the font versus the background color is critical in making it reading easy and comfortable at all times
- I assume the game developers want us, the users-players, to be comfortable, to stick around and to have fun while playing the game, not to feel uncomfortable or frustrated because we can't easily read - the interface must be appealing and easy to read, that's a basic rule to keep users coming back

a good example, easy to read and comfortable is this exact forum theme color right here, in this very forum I am posting right now, this message of mine - it's a clear contrast between the fonts and the background, and can be easily read in any lighting setting, regardless if the room may be darker or not, the reading of this forum is easy and comfortable

yet, this is not happening in-game with the theme color as I see it, I for one, I'm having hard time to read, or to keep it comfortable, is in fact quite frustrating to me, it bothers me, thus I wonder how can I change the theme color to accentuate the contrast to see it better

to be fair, I should mention that there are sections where the contrast is clear and more visible, like links on the right side with white fonts over a black background, or like the in-game PM, messaging system, for emails and such, again with white fonts versus a black background...

but the chat box, for example, is some kind of dark gray fronts over a black background, it's so hard to read that from my vantage point makes using chat useless...

if there is no way to change the theme color, to personalize it as we "like" it or however we feel more comfortable, then this is an issue to look into from a development and maintenance side

so, the key issue is the theme color, this is what I'm trying to convey here... the theme color needs some adjustments, assuming you want users-players to feel comfortable...

sure, there is no way to please everyone, I know it all too well from my own experience, but one way to try to fix it is to have at least few other themes available, like 2-3 options to chose from and let us, users to chose a more light or dark theme, with a more clear or not contrast as we feel it's more comfortable for us

so, can we change the theme color?

if there is no other theme to change, then create some and make them available to us, users-players to use, at least give us some options to chose from, like other online games do in similar cases, in many other games we can choose a different theme color as it's more comfortable for the user-player

please don't just assume the default theme is appealing and easy to read for all of us

if we can change the theme color, then this is my question, how can I do that? I've looked around already and I can't find a way to change it, so if there is a way to do it, I don't know how, that's why I'm posting my question here

2. how can I update my avatar for my forum profile here?
- I was using the User Control Panel > Profile > Edit avatar,

yet there is this message
"The avatar functionality is currently disabled."

now, is this something temporary, just for a while for some kind of maintenance issues, or it's a done deal, it is and will always be disabled?

I should maybe mention that I've tried the:
"Set your avatar through in-game feature; Return in-game, click on your name at the top menu and then click on Update your Avatar!"

but, still not working, assuming is because the feature is disabled, and if that's the case, then once again, how can I update my avatar?

if I'm part of an online community, game and/or forum like here, then it's only natural to create an identity and personalize it and one common way to do so, is to express myself with an avatar, hence I'm asking again, how can I do that?

I am confused, why is not working for me?

well, this is it, for now, so thank you all for reading and looking to find some answers soon...

[Admiral Nelson]

There is no current ways to change the format (From a drop down list etc), there is software you can get which is able to change display effects etc (Not directly for the game, but OS related.)

The Forums picture changes when you change your in-game avatar. I believe this is so 'everyone' can be traced...

That being said you are the first player ever to be 'raising' an issue of not being able to change such; but each to there own.

[Shadowood]

Welcome to the forums mate!

[Astragek]

I've changed my in-game avatar, but it didn't change my forum avatar. forum avatar still blank...

[Captain Jack]

Welcome to the forums Captain Thunder and to the game.

I've changed my in-game avatar, but it didn't change my forum avatar. forum avatar still blank...

Weird, try again perhaps? Perhaps there is a recent error here.


The in-game theme colors cannot change. We can create some options, why not. This however cannot happen fast enough to accommodate you in-time.
Therefore let me suggest the following:
1)Have you tried using the the browser zoom? It may get a lot better at 105-110%. Use Ctrl and + to increase zoom and Ctrl and - to decrease zoom.
2)Can you assemble a list of your top issues? The chatbox problem you mention can be improved easily for example. You do not mention other areas though and perhaps by pointing out some pages/parts we could look at them with more care and improve them.

Such improvements are usual and we have done many similar during the years.

The truth is that for a long time now we want to create a new interface. We even have some scratch plans for this. However, we keep pushing it back in favor of new features. At some point we will need to seriously invest into this as this will also help us keep new players.

[Captain Thunder]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, I appreciate it and as a new player it makes me feel I'm joining a warm and active community

@ Captain Jack

thank you for willing to work on improving what can be improved in the "look & feel" of the interface...

my comments are by no means to critique or complain, on the contrary, to point out in a constructive way some areas that need improvement, especially considering the interface and the colors fonts versus background, how easy is (or not) to read and how comfortable it feels...

some veteran players with more seniority, already playing for a while, maybe a long while, they got used to the way it is and it's not easy to spot areas that may need some attention, for the simple fact we all get used with what we got... me too I would assume after two weeks or months, I would get used with the interface as it is and I won't be able to locate areas that need improvement...

that's why I said now, while I see it with fresh eyes, to point it out, so you can find maybe a way to fix it if possible...

I am no coder, but I have an idea it may not be easy to work in the background, I assume some CSS work is needed it especially to create some theme colors and make them available to use on our end, like from a drop-down menu or something similar, like it can be found on other games out there where we have the option to change the theme color...

so, I'm not criticizing or complaining, not at all, it's just that from my end, from my vantage point, is hard to read, thus uncomfortable and somewhat frustrating, due to the lack of a clear contrast between the fonts colors and background colors...

I mean it's an odd feeling, I'm here to play the game, to enjoy it, to have fun with it, to interact with other players, to learn how stuff work, I'm excited and I like it so far, ready to play, yet I'm getting frustrated at times, just because I cant easily read what needs to be read by me as a player...

like with the chat box, that is really hard to see, or anywhere where is used that dark red font over the black background, like on the top links "new present" and "new guild discussions" and "new event" in those particular cases with those three links, I didn't even realize those are there for a while, until it hit me... hehe...

yes, I am using quite often the zoom in and/or out feature of the browser, that's why I love Chrome so much, as it makes it easier to use, including the zoom in/out, so I've tried that too, but the frustrating and uncomfortable feeling is still there, due to the lack of contrast, or a very weak contrast in some cases

just by comparison, here, in-forum, it's all great, it's easy to read and very comfortable, all good here...

back to in-game on the good side, for example, right next to those top links there is the "inbox" link and the current "name of the port" and those are clearly visible with white font color on top of a black background, so it's OK here...

yes, I could try to put together a list with main issues I see... I'll work on that...

but in the meantime, while I'm working on this list, if I may suggest few basic changes, overall changes if possible may help, like:

a. either change the black background to a white one, or a let's say light blue one, resembling waters since we are pirates sailing on waters, but a light blue, like the sky or light water blue, or similar (maybe very similar to what we see here in-forum)

b. either change the color of those dark red fonts, everywhere those fonts and that color is used, maybe change that font only to a newer lighter color, either simply white or a bright yellow or something like that to stand out in clear contrast with the dark themed background

for example, here is one more

in the fleet list page-view:
- the name of the fleet is with bright yellow fonts vs. black background, and this is OK, it's easy to read
- yet, right close to it, the fleet id#, then "current port" and "Actions" is a relatively dark orange, over the same black background, thus not so easy to read anymore
- even worse, the "Total cargo" is that dark red color (once again) over the black background which makes it very hard and very frustrating to read those numbers, I for one, I am selecting it, like I would do a copy/paste, just to see what those numbers are
- then, on the right-hand side, the menu under "Select action:" and under "Manage fleets" is yet again this dark red font color, hard to read over the black background
- however what menu links are under "Quartermaster" are with white fonts vs. black, thus easy to read, so it's OK there in that area

all in the same page, all in the same view

my bottom line it looks like is narrowing down to those dark red fonts, where ever they appear, in any page, as long as those are over a black background is quite hard to read, generally speaking, not even counting the fact I may be with my laptop in a dark room, or even in a bright room, in front of a window and with the daylight glaring over my screen, and that would make it even harder to read

until I compile that list with issues I'll find at a first glance, aside from what I've already mentioned here, if I may suggest, try to locate where this dark red color is used for those fonts and change just that for a start to a bright yellow, or simply white... I think, I assume that would be a quick fix, at least until you can work on creating some themes to make them available for players to use...

I don't know details, but I assume you've defined in a CSS header or similar for all the application, and if so, just change that particular color, for those fonts that are using this dark red

I would also assume you have a separate testing version, that is not live for public use and if so, try some options on that testing version, before you bring it live - I could help with the testing, if should you need my feedback, from a user point of view, not a coder-scripter

about the second issue, updating and/or uploading my avatar here, in-forum, for my forum profile, still is not clear to me if and how can I do that...

again, I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just trying to help a bit, with constructive feedback...

thank you for reading my comments

[PFH]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, I appreciate it and as a new player it makes me feel I'm joining a warm and active community

@ Captain Jack

thank you for willing to work on improving what can be improved in the "look & feel" of the interface...

my comments are by no means to critique or complain, on the contrary, to point out in a constructive way some areas that need improvement, especially considering the interface and the colors fonts versus background, how easy is (or not) to read and how comfortable it feels...

some veteran players with more seniority, already playing for a while, maybe a long while, they got used to the way it is and it's not easy to spot areas that may need some attention, for the simple fact we all get used with what we got... me too I would assume after two weeks or months, I would get used with the interface as it is and I won't be able to locate areas that need improvement...

that's why I said now, while I see it with fresh eyes, to point it out, so you can find maybe a way to fix it if possible...

I am no coder, but I have an idea it may not be easy to work in the background, I assume some CSS work is needed it especially to create some theme colors and make them available to use on our end, like from a drop-down menu or something similar, like it can be found on other games out there where we have the option to change the theme color...

so, I'm not criticizing or complaining, not at all, it's just that from my end, from my vantage point, is hard to read, thus uncomfortable and somewhat frustrating, due to the lack of a clear contrast between the fonts colors and background colors...

I mean it's an odd feeling, I'm here to play the game, to enjoy it, to have fun with it, to interact with other players, to learn how stuff work, I'm excited and I like it so far, ready to play, yet I'm getting frustrated at times, just because I cant easily read what needs to be read by me as a player...

like with the chat box, that is really hard to see, or anywhere where is used that dark red font over the black background, like on the top links "new present" and "new guild discussions" and "new event" in those particular cases with those three links, I didn't even realize those are there for a while, until it hit me... hehe...

yes, I am using quite often the zoom in and/or out feature of the browser, that's why I love Chrome so much, as it makes it easier to use, including the zoom in/out, so I've tried that too, but the frustrating and uncomfortable feeling is still there, due to the lack of contrast, or a very weak contrast in some cases

just by comparison, here, in-forum, it's all great, it's easy to read and very comfortable, all good here...

back to in-game on the good side, for example, right next to those top links there is the "inbox" link and the current "name of the port" and those are clearly visible with white font color on top of a black background, so it's OK here...

yes, I could try to put together a list with main issues I see... I'll work on that...

but in the meantime, while I'm working on this list, if I may suggest few basic changes, overall changes if possible may help, like:

a. either change the black background to a white one, or a let's say light blue one, resembling waters since we are pirates sailing on waters, but a light blue, like the sky or light water blue, or similar (maybe very similar to what we see here in-forum)

b. either change the color of those dark red fonts, everywhere those fonts and that color is used, maybe change that font only to a newer lighter color, either simply white or a bright yellow or something like that to stand out in clear contrast with the dark themed background

for example, here is one more

in the fleet list page-view:
- the name of the fleet is with bright yellow fonts vs. black background, and this is OK, it's easy to read
- yet, right close to it, the fleet id#, then "current port" and "Actions" is a relatively dark orange, over the same black background, thus not so easy to read anymore
- even worse, the "Total cargo" is that dark red color (once again) over the black background which makes it very hard and very frustrating to read those numbers, I for one, I am selecting it, like I would do a copy/paste, just to see what those numbers are
- then, on the right-hand side, the menu under "Select action:" and under "Manage fleets" is yet again this dark red font color, hard to read over the black background
- however what menu links are under "Quartermaster" are with white fonts vs. black, thus easy to read, so it's OK there in that area

all in the same page, all in the same view

my bottom line it looks like is narrowing down to those dark red fonts, where ever they appear, in any page, as long as those are over a black background is quite hard to read, generally speaking, not even counting the fact I may be with my laptop in a dark room, or even in a bright room, in front of a window and with the daylight glaring over my screen, and that would make it even harder to read

until I compile that list with issues I'll find at a first glance, aside from what I've already mentioned here, if I may suggest, try to locate where this dark red color is used for those fonts and change just that for a start to a bright yellow, or simply white... I think, I assume that would be a quick fix, at least until you can work on creating some themes to make them available for players to use...

I don't know details, but I assume you've defined in a CSS header or similar for all the application, and if so, just change that particular color, for those fonts that are using this dark red

I would also assume you have a separate testing version, that is not live for public use and if so, try some options on that testing version, before you bring it live - I could help with the testing, if should you need my feedback, from a user point of view, not a coder-scripter

about the second issue, updating and/or uploading my avatar here, in-forum, for my forum profile, still is not clear to me if and how can I do that...

again, I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just trying to help a bit, with constructive feedback...

thank you for reading my comments

Already a great first couple posts. Awesome, Thunder! Also, Welcome to the forums!!

[Astragek]

Welcome to the forums Captain Thunder and to the game.

I've changed my in-game avatar, but it didn't change my forum avatar. forum avatar still blank...

Weird, try again perhaps? Perhaps there is a recent error here.

It worked this time CJ, thanks

[Kangaroo]

Man, I seriously wouldn't have bothered

[Most Lee Harmless]

Go the Bombers!